2 more lawsuits filed against Grant Co. jailer

3 other suits pending against elected official

Published 2:01 PM EDT Oct 25, 2012

WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. -

Two more lawsuits have been filed against the Grant County jailer, bringing the total to five.

The Kentucky Enquirer reports that one former jail employee is claiming he was fired after bringing problems to the attention of Jailer Terry Peeples while another claims she was the victim of sexual harassment.

The lawsuits come on top of three that are currently pending against Peeples and a series of others involving previous administrations at the jail that were settled for more than $2 million.

Peeples took over the position of jailer in January 2011 after running on a platform of change. He was out of town on Wednesday at a state jailers' conference and unavailable for comment. Grant County Attorney Joe Taylor declined to comment.

Commonwealth's Attorney Jim Crawford said the lawsuits illustrate problems that have plagued the jail since it expanded in 2000 from 28 beds to more than 300.

"The expanded jail ... created a type of atmosphere where you have to dot every 'I' and cross every 'T,' " Crawford said. "If you don't, it may not be criminal, but you can expect civil litigation – and that has been what's consistently happened."

He said there are a lot of complexities in overseeing the facility.

"Everyone who becomes jailer needs to be totally aware of the difficulties of managing the jail from the get-go," Crawford said. "If they are not, you end up with more lawsuits, and taxpayer money is spent on defending these civil claims. No one wants that."

Attorney Barbara Bonar, who is representing the most recent plaintiffs, said there is a lack of training and a focus on retaliation at the jail.

"The only way our citizens remain safe is by whistleblowers such as these clients," Bonar said. "They do the right thing by reporting the illegal conduct. For them to lose their job for doing the right thing is such a travesty."

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